Life cares not for our emotions, as tragedy strikes without a moments notice. Due to our finite existence, we are bound to lose someone special. But we mustn’t allow ourselves to become trapped by emotions. Life moves forward, and so must we. Despite the uncertainty in her volatile life, Tooru Honda remains optimistic in the face of despair. Her daily struggles are physically and mentally taxing, yet she persists. Pressing forward with determination of mind and body. Turning an unfortunate circumstance into a springboard to cultivate a new life for herself.
A joyous life. An endearing life. And a life full of laughter.
‘Slice of life’ has always been a misnomer in the anime industry. In the strictest sense of the definition, it involves the depiction of mundane experiences to capture the essence of ‘real life.’ Anime/manga, however, rely on melodramatic — exaggerated — scenes to elicit a desired reaction. This becomes evident in “Fruits Basket (2019)” when Kyou challenges Yuki to a martial arts match on the fly, resulting in a humorously quick victory for Yuki. Or when the piggish Kagura displays her love for Kyou by twirling him at such a speed to self-propel herself like a helicopter.
This, however, brings up an interesting question: how did Kagura attain upward thrust without a tail rotor? Clearly, Issac Newtown’s third law of motion states, “to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” Without an anti-torque system to oppose the torque reaction, upward thrust would not be generated.
But despite this aerodynamic contradiction and genre misclassification, “Fruits Basket (2019)” is a hilarious show with plenty of heartwarming moments. The success relies on its fleshed out characters. Now, to be honest, they are rather tropey. But unlike the majority of anime that hinge their entire plot on character tropes, “Fruits Basket (2019)” slowly unravels the tapestry that is our main characters to provide a rich experience.
In contrast to Tohru’s naive, awkward personality, she excels at giving advice to others. Several episodes display reminiscent visions of Tohru’s mother, Kyoko Honda, as she imparts wisdoms in her daughter. Tohru’s passing of knowledge to her friends shows her caring nature and her willingness to tacitly accept her mother’s passing. Remember. Although she exhibits positivity, Tohru is attempting to live for herself despite her unselfish personality.
Yuki, “The Prince,” is a reserved individual that feels isolated from the other adolescents his age. While his good looks garner a lot of positive attention, he feels incapable of ‘opening’ up to others; hence, why he envies Kyou for his ease of developing friendships. Kyou, on the other hand, sees his disposition as unfavorable, due to his estrangement from the Sohma family.
And this is the appeal of “Fruits Basket.”
Underneath its silliness, there are real problems that need to be confronted. Each member of the zodiac is shown to be ‘broken’ in some sense. Hindering their ability to express their true self to the world. And “Fruits Basket” does an excellent job of piercing through their barriers to talk to us on a personal level. Chances are, you’ll discover a character of the zodiac that you feel akin to, and you may learn something from their struggles. It can be heart-wrenching to watch, yet so beautiful. Combine this with the improved animation and wonderful OST, and you’re in for a real treat.
